Embalming apparatus



Patented Sept. 25, 1945 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMBALMING APPARATUS Arthur Sydney Adams Tolliver, Tuskegee, Ala.

Application June 28, 1943, Serial No. 492,582

1 Claim.

This invention relates to embalming apparatus, one of the objects being to provide an apparatus which can be set to use any predetermined amount of fluid for the embalming operation after which, with the parts properly set and connected, the apparatus can bestarted and will operate automatically until the desired amount of fluid has been consumed whereupon the apparatus will automaticall stop. Thus. it becomes possible for the operator to perform other dutiesfduring the time that the apparatus is in operation.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this character which is simple and inexpensive inconstruction and can be readily plugged into any ordinary service outlet.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction. and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a.- view partly in: elevation and partly in section showing the complete unit, the circuits being shown in diagram.

Figure 2. is a vertical section through a portion of. the apparatus, the same being partly in diagram and illustrating the relative positions of the parts under normal conditions.

Figure 3 is a section through a portion of the apparatus showing the relative positions of the parts when the operation of the mechanism has been brought to a stop.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the ratchet wheel and cooperating parts, two positions of theapparatus while being set, being indicated by full and broken lines respectively.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section through one end portion of the pump.

Referring to thefigures by characters of reference, I designates the main casing which is preferably portable so that it can be carried from placeto place, as when the embalming operation is to be performed at a residence. This outer casing or housing can be made of any desired material and constructed in any manner desired. In the structure illustrated it is provided with a lower horizontal partition 2, an upper horizontal partition 3, a lid 4 and a handle 5. In the lower 6 in which a piston l ismounted for reciprocation, said cylinder having a head 8 with separate passages 9 and It leading to nipples l2 and I3 respectively to which flexible tubes M can be connected. The passage 9 has a valve seat I5 cooperating with a spring-pressed valve 16, which is adapted to open on a suction stroke but to close under apressure stroke. Passage Ill, however, has a seat 11' cooperating with a springpressed valve [8 which is adapted to. open on a pressure stroke but close on a suction stroke. Thus during a pressure stroke of the piston,.fiuid can be forced into the body under treatment from a container to which nipple I3 is connected while, at the same time, blood from the subject under treatment will be forced from the body into a container provided therefor. By reversing the tubes, however, the suction stroke of the piston could be utilized to withdraw blood from the body into a container provided therefor while the embalming fluid would be drawn into the body from a receptacle. It is thought that this operation willrbe apparent to those skilled in the art.

The piston iof the pump is adapted to be actuated: by a pitman [9 connected to a crank arm 20 which rotates with a pulley 2|. This pulley is adapted to receive motion through a belt 22 or other power-transmitting means from an electric motor 23 which, in turn, is adapted to drive a pulley 24' connected to one end of a speed reduction gearing indicated generally at 25. This gearing, which can be located in a housing 26, transmits motion to a crank arm 21.

In thestructure illustrated an inner casing 28 is mounted on the upper partition 3 and journaled in this casing is a ratchet wheel 29 having a laterally extended stop pin 30. This stop pin is located where it will move into engagement with one end of a lever 3| which. is fulcrumed as at 32 in the-inner casing and has a rod 33 extended from its other end to a movable contact in the form of a wedge 34 which is adapted to move back and forth with the rod. when the lever is actuated. A spring 35 normally pulls lever 31: in one direction so that the contact 34 is thus normally pressed between and. into intimate engagement with a forked contact 36.

A double pawl, simulating an escapement, has been indicated at 31 and is fulcrumed between its endsas at 38. This pawl has spaced teeth 39 and mrso located and proportioned as to intermittently engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 29 so that every time the pawl is swung in one direction the wheel will be moved a short distance in one direction and when the lever is swung in the opposite direction, said movement of the wheel will be continued until it has completed a distance equal to the width of one tooth on the ratchet wheel. The pawl is held normally with its tooth 39 in engagement with the toothed edge of the ratchet wheel, a spring 4| being provided for this purpose. When the pawl is thus located an armature 42 which is carried thereby adjacent to one end is spaced from the core of an electromagnet 43 fixedly mounted in the casing 28.

Pawl 31 constitutes a setting lever as will be hereinafter explained and, in addition thereto, there is provided an operating element. This element is in the nature of an elongated strip 44 having spaced longitudinal slots 45 into which are extended guide pins 46 whereby the strip is permitted to have a limited up and down sliding movement. A spring 41 exerts an upward pull amount of fluid set in motion by the pump. For example rotation of the wheel a distance equal to the width of six teeth can be effected by the mechanism during a period while one pint of fluid is being propelled by the pump. If the wheel is moved a distance equal to twice that number, namely twelve teeth, the pump will have operated a sufiiciently long period to circulate one quart of fluid. Should the wheel be moved on the strip 44 so that the pins 46 thus are normally engaged by the lower end walls of the slots in which they are located.

Pivotally connected to the upper end portion of the strip 44 is a, pawl 48. A spring 49 serves to hold this pawl normally elevated against a stop 50 with its free end in position overlapping one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 29.

Pivotally connected to the lower end portion of the strip 44 is a pivoted contact finger 5| which is normally pulled downwardly by a spring 52 against the stop 53 so that thefinger is thus normally extended into the path at one end of a lever 54 the other end of which is connected by a pitman 55 to the crank 21. Thus as the crank 21 is rotated, lever 54 is oscillated and each downward movement of one end of the lever causes it to press downwardly on finger 5|, thereby sliding strip 44 downwardly against the action of spring 47 and causing the pawl 48 to pull downwardly on one tooth of the ratchet wheeland impart a partial rotation to said wheel. This rotation will be in the direction indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 2. Thus each rotation of crank 21 will move the ratchet wheel one tooth in the direction indicated, it being understood that following each movement of the wheel, the spring 41 will restore the strip 44 and pawl 48 to their normal or uppermost positions.

The electric motor 23 has a lead 56 extending to one side 51 of a power circuit, this lead being provided with a master switch 58. Another lead 59 is extended from the motor to the contact 35 while a lead 60 extends from the contact 34 to the other side 6| of the power circuit. In the apparatus as illustrated the lead 59 is also connected to one terminal of the electromagnet 43 while the other terminal of said electromagnet has a lead 62 extending therefrom to a pilot light 63 and thence to a normally open switch 64 which can be in the form of a push-button. This switch, in turn, is connected to the line 51 of the power circuit.

When it is desired to use the apparatus, the switch 58 is opened. Switch 64 is normally open. Thu the leads 59 and 6| can be'plugged into a Service outlet whereupon the apparatus is ready for use. r

The teeth of the ratchet wheel 29, the stroke of the strip 44, and the speed of rotation of the crank 21 are all so timed in connection with the pump 6 that a predetermined number of movements of the ratchet wheel in the direction indicated by arrow a in Fig. 2 will determine the twenty-four teeth, the fluid pumped would amount to two quarts.

Before using the apparatus it is determined show much fluid is to be directed into the subject. The ratchet wheel is placed with the pin 39 in the position shown in Fig. 3 at which time it bears against lever 30 so that contact 34 is moved away from the contact 36 and the circuit to the motor is interrupted. With the switch 58 open so that current cannot flow to the motor, the operator depresses the button 64 so as to close the circuit to the magnet 43. As soon as the magnet is energized it will attract the armature 42 and cause the setting pawl 31 to swin away from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the full line'position shown in Fig. 4. When button 64 is released and the circuit to the magnet broken, this pawl will move back to its initial position as shown by broken lines in Fig. 4. Consequently this action of the operating pawl in swinging back and forth under successive actions of the magnet and the spring 4| will result in moving the wheel a, distance of one tooth in the direction of arrow b shown in Fig. 4. If one pint of fluid is to be forced by the pump, the button is depressed four times and as a result the wh'eel will be rotated a distance equal to four teeth. .The apparatus is then ready for use and after the tubes |4 have been connected to the subject so that fluid will flow in the proper direction when the pump is actuated, the switch 58 is closed. As the switch formed by contacts 34 and 35 is closed immediately following the movement of pin 30 away from its normal position, the motor 23 will begin to operate as soon as switch 58 is closed. Consequently the crank arm 21 will be driven by the speed reduction gearing at a slow speed, causing lever 54 to oscillate. Each upstroke of the pitman 55 will cause this lever 54 to push downwardly on the finger 5| and thi operation of the finger will, in turn, cause the pawl 48 to pull downwardly on one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 29 a distance sufiicient to move this wheel one tooth or notch. As soon as the lever snaps p st finger 5|, spring 41 will automatically return slide 44 to its raised position and thereafter as the operating end of lever 54 moves upwardly, it will snap past the finger against action of spring 52 so that the parts will reassume the positions shown in Figure 2.

During this operation of the wheel, some of the teeth will of course move past the teeth on the operating lever 31., Each movement of the wheel will bring the pin 30 closer to the lever 3| inasmuch as this pin is moving in the direction indicated by arrow a when actuated by the pawl 48. After the selected number of operations have been effected, pin 30 will come against lever 3| and push against it, thereby breaking the circuit at the switch 34-36 so that the motor will be stopped and no more fluid will be pumped.

With this apparatus it will be noted that after it has been set to pump the desired amount of fluid, the operator can devote his time to other duties and does not have to pay any further attention to the pumping operation as he will be assured that only the proper amount will be forced into the subject. c

It is to be understood that various changes in the construction of this apparatus can be made within the scope of the invention as claimed and while an electric motor has been used as the preferred means for driving a timing mechanism, obviously a spring motor might be used in lieu thereof in localities where electric power is not available. In any case the timing mechanism would be the same with the exception that the member 34, instead of opening and closing a switch, would operate a spring motor brake. Furthermore the operating lever 31 could be operated directly by a push-button for the purpose of setting the ratchet wheel with pin 30 any desired distance from the lever 3|. 'I'h'e foregoing modifications of the structure are so obvious that it has not been deemed necessary to describe or show the same in detail.

What is claimed is:

A time control device for the pump motor of an embalming apparatus, having a motor controlling switch which includes a ratchet wheel, a

switch-tripping pin on the wheel, a slide mounted for reciprocation, a spring for holding the slide yieldingly in normal position, a spring-restrained pawl mounted at one end on the slide and having its other end freely supported in position to engage a tooth of the ratchet wheel, a spring-restrained contact finger pivotally connected to the slide, a motor driven oscillating member mounted for movement against the finger to move the slide and its pawl in one direction away from normal position and to slip past the finger to release the slide for abrupt return to normal position, said finger being mounted to yield to pressure from and permit movement of the operating lever in the opposite direction after release of the slide, an escapement engaging the ratchet wheel and positioned to restrict rotation of the ratchet wheel, and means under control of an operator for actuating the escapement, being proportioned to rotate the ratchet oppositely to the direction of rotation effected by the pawl, and means for intermittently actuating the escapement to effect said rotation thereby.

ARTHUR SYDNEY ADAMS TOLLIVER. 

